February 2011
1 post
RFPs & RFQs
Getting to be known in NY is hard work (we had already been warned by our accountants) The competition is fierce. When we request information on a possible project we find out that it has been downloaded a couple of hundred times at least. Impressive. Nothing like a great challenge to keep you awake. We’ll keep you posted.
January 2011
1 post
December 2010
2 posts
End of the Year
It’s been a struggling year for the Design and Construction Industry, in Puerto Rico as for the rest of the world. We are hopeful we can finish our year with great news from AFI, announcing the inclusion of our Design-Build Group as one of the fortunate consortia that will contribute to the Schools of the 21st Century Government Initiative.
2011 plans include overcoming any loss of work...
July 2010
1 post
NEW YORK CITY
My efforts to get registered again as an Architect in New York are on their way. Finally, I completed my CE requirements and submitted my application to the State Education Department. I am anticipating good news, so we are deciding on an address to set up shop (I like Chelsea, personally!) and getting our business papers in order as a MBE. Can’t wait to sign in that first...
April 2010
1 post
New Life
It’s been a while since we sat around and wrote about what was going on with our praxis. Well, a lot of things have been happening, the most relevant being the fact that our web site is almost up for publishing. It’s not as conceived but technology “costs” so we’ll have to wait for a budgetary NEXT STEP! ha!. We continue with our supervision projects and trying to...
January 2010
1 post
Architecture for Humanity
http://www.architectureforhumanity.org/
The San Juan Chapter of Architecture for Humanity has been chartered. It has been organized by members of our firm and we are extremely proud to have pioneered this effort. To find out more about the Chapter’s goals and values, log in.
September 2009
1 post
BackBlog
It’s been a while since our last post. After the robbery, we have been tight-securing our office, documents and artwork, becoming more aware of our surrounding environment. Not worrying about turning somewhat paranoid, we have taken to knowing every spec of dirt around us, every ray of sun and every breath we take. Life is good.
August 2009
1 post
July 2009
5 posts
Recession 2.0
Recession 2.0 is just eating away the competition. During “slow” (or “bad” times as you wish to call them), our Clients are turning to dependable break-through service to guarantee their investments. We are experiencing growth, even when our peers are cutting hours and personnel. Repeat clients are the norm, but in recent weeks, we have been turning in Proposals for new...
June 2009
5 posts
May 2009
6 posts
April 2009
22 posts
Rincon
I just came back from Rincon and the truth is that there is no such a thing as beach architecture. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I was expecting to find at least one house, just one house that would be in touch with the sea, the surf, the sun, the sand, the breeze, the world-famous sunsets….but after walking for about a mile on Road 413 on Sandy Beach, all I found were either surbuban...
“Only after the last tree has been cut down, only after the last river has been...”
– Cree Prophecy (based on Warriors of the Rainbow)
“A lot of people talk about it. Yet very few people understand it. Even fewer...”
– Marty Neumeier
Excerpt from The Brand Gap 2006
---Kenya Hara
Design is not merely the art of making things…No, it is the occupation of straining our ears and eyes to discover new questions from the midst of everyday life. People create their environments by living. Beyond the rational observation of this fact, lie the future of technology and the future of design. Somewhere near their loose intersection, we’ll find the future of modernism.
“The way a Building is perceived is a sign of the relationship between Man, Technology and Nature. We Architects, are mediators between Space, Time and Architecture (remembering Sigfried Gideon). How we interpret our body, our mind, our natural stages and artificial inventions, is only indicative of the success or failure of our building offer. We need to foster a closer relationship between...
Pearl Hotel
We are all very excited about Pearl Hotel, a new boutique hotel about to open before the end of the year on the site of Pearl at Condado, the 37-story luxury apartment tower that we designed for Jorge Rios back in 2007-2008. We will prepare construction documents and continue working with Jorge developing the name Pearl as the greatest icon on Condado. Details of Pearl Hotel shall be available...
“What if a fire station is not about a huge garage but about a second floor...”
– Jaime Fournier
equation
Architecture in Puerto Rico is fragile, almost non-existent. Lack of purpose, driven by self-appointed prima donnas will lead this profession directly to the gutter. Only by adressing the current state of events that transform our daily lives and nurture dreams, will we be able to contribute to our community and our clients’ needs and goals. Creativity is a commodity too valuable to waste. ...
